Arden Termite & Pest Control

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Flying Insects
If you see flying insects inside your house during the springtime, they are most likely subterranean termites. Call us for a free inspection to identify them. Termites are often look like flying ants.

Arden Termite and Pest Control provides a complete line of services for termite inspections and pest control in the greater Sacramento area.

Springtime is termite swarm season. Winged termites can suddenly appear inside your home. You will often find them on window sills and near other light sources. While they look like flying ants, they are most likely termites here in the Sacramento area. Call us immediately to schedule a free inspection to be sure. Save a sample insect in a plastic baggie. Spray the rest with Raid or some other household pesticide. It won't kill the termite colony but it will slow them down until we can treat your home with Termidor, the most effective guaranteed termite treatment.

If you see mud tubes on your foundation or while remodeling or cleaning the garage, it means you have termites!

No matter how old your home is, where it's located, or how it's constructed, it is susceptible to being attacked by termites. Every year they cause billions of dollars of damage in the United State alone - damage that homeowners insurance won't cover. Chances are you will never see evidence of termites or termite damage until it's too late.

Thief ant (Photo: Univar)
Thief ants are very tiny ants; workers are never more than 1/16-inch long. The thorax lacks distinct spines, the petiole has two nodes, and there is a small stinger at the tip of the abdomen. Thief ants are yellow to light brown and look much like Pharaoh ants. These two ants are easily distinguished because thief ants have a large two-segmented club at the tip of the antenna; Pharaoh ants have a three-segmented club. Thief ants also have very small eyes.

Biology: These ants begin swarming as winged reproductives in June; this activity continues until late fall. A colony of a few hundred to several thousand workers can be established by a single fertilized female. Developmental time (egg to adult) is 50 days to several months.

Habits: Thief ants are often found in very large nests that have tiny tunnels connecting to the nests of larger ants. They habitually steal food and brood from the other ants’ nests; thus, their name. Thief ants usually nest outdoors in areas with bare soil or under stones. When they do nest in structures, they usually are found in wall voids and similar protected locations. Thief ants feed on live and dead insects, seeds, and honeydew. They will tend aphids and other honeydew-producing insects as a source of this food. They generally prefer food with high protein content.